Online gas billing fraud
Crooks are using cyber technology to commit different crimes of robbing people with minimal to no risk of getting caught. One such new method is ‘Online gas billing fraud’ where scammers send messages claiming that the gas connection will be cut off unless immediate payment is made. Gullible victims fall prey to them and get robbed of their hard-earned money. Read on to know and be aware about such frauds, preventive steps, online helpline and more…
Modus Operandi
In an online gas billing fraud, fraudsters send fake messages to gas customers claiming that their connection will be cut off unless they pay their dues immediately. When the customer calls the given number, he or she is asked to download a file having malware which gives access to the fraudster, who then siphons off money from the customer’s account.
Case Study
An 83-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran was duped of Rs 3.64 lakh by cyber criminals posing as Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) officials, who allegedly gained unauthorised access to his phone by manipulating him to share sensitive information.
The police complaint states that the incident occurred when the victim was visiting Australia for personal reasons in third week of August 2024. He received a WhatsApp message stating that the gas connection will be disconnected at 9 pm in the night due to non-payment of the charges. There was phone number of a person claiming to be MNGL officer.
The victim replied to the message and sent a screenshot of the last bill payment made. Little later, he received a WhatsApp video call from a person claiming to be MNGL officer who informed that the company had not received the payment, and it needs to be verified.
It is believed that during this conversation the fraudsters manipulated the victim to give sensitive information which was misused to gain access to his phone and siphon off the money. Afterwards, he received multiple alerts of a total of Rs 3.64 lakh being deducted from his two bank accounts.
When contacted, Swapnali Shinde, police inspector, Pune city cyber police station said, “People should make payments of their gas bills on the authorised website only or on the numbers given on it or at the authorised offices. One should not panic on receiving a message threatening to disconnect the gas connection due to non-payment of bill. Domestic gas is an essential commodity but still one should not believe in such messages and divulge any sensitive information like bank details to unknown people.
She added, “We had sent a letter to MNGL’s Shivajinagar office about the growing numbers of people being duped under pretext of non-payment of bills and expressed the need to undertake customer awareness campaign to reduce them. The officers had told the police that they are sending bills with messages that customers must pay the bill on MNGL’s authorised website only or on the numbers given on it or at the authorised offices.
The people who have lost money in cyber crimes must first lodge a complaint on www. cybercrime.gov.in and then contact the nearest cyber police station for quicker action.
PREVENTIVE STEPS
- Do not believe in messages stating that domestic gas connection will be cut off on non-payment of bill
- Do not panic on receiving such messages and give sensitive information like bank details to unknown people